So today I had to take Orrin to Bern to get a picture taken for his permit-thingee to live here. Since the older three are all now in school it was just me and the little boys. It only took a few minutes and Talmage was sad to leave the books he was looking at at the kid table, so I thought we could stop at the library and he could look at the books there for awhile. So we went to the library and found that it wouldn’t open for another twenty minutes. So we sat by this little pool/fountain thing and Talmage was having a good time throwing in gravel and playing in it. Then he was kneeling on the edge, leaning down playing, and SPLOSH! he fell in head first and came up sputtering and surprised and mad. It was a bit sad because his little head was bonked and scraped, but it was also quite funny I must admit. So we took off his shirt and went home and got him new clothes and then went back to the library. And, I was really excited when the librarian showed me a little selection (about 15 books) of ENGLISH picture books. AWE.SOME. So we loaded up with English and German books and the movie Toy Story 3 since we haven’t seen it yet and came home.
So yesterday was the kids’ first day of school, and Ethne’s very first day of Kindergarten!! Wahoo! Here kids start Kindergarten at 4 and go two years, and it’s just a playschool- they don’t start teaching any reading, math, or anything like that. They just play and sing and have fun and eat snacks. Oh, and Ethne will have some German instruction a couple times a week with some other German-as-a-second-language kids. So anyway, of course she was very excited and cute. They started a late (9:30) the first morning, and the parents came in with them for a good 40 minutes or so, and so I was there with Talmage and Orrin and Talmage was having a great time with all the cool toys, and when it was time for us to go he started bawling his eyes out because he wanted to stay.
Hurrah for the Kindergartener!!
Then we went and picked her up around noon when it was time for her to come home, and we all had lunch together and then I sent her back to school with Jethro because they both had afternoon school on Mondays. And I warned Jethro not to forget to pick up Ethne! Later that afternoon I got a phone call from Ethne’s teacher saying no one had come to pick her up. First day of school- awesome. So I was annoyed with Jethro that he had forgotten her after all, and I grabbed a bike and rode up to the school and got Ethne. She had fun riding on the bike and ringing the bell on the ride home. Later on, Jethro came home and I said, “Hey, didn’t you forget something?!” And he said, “Well, I went to get her, but her class got out an hour before mine.” Gee, I didn’t realize they got out at different times. Darn it, it was my fault after all.
Speaking of schedules, they are so crazy. Want to hear? Ethne goes all mornings (8:20 – 11:55), and Monday afternoons from 1:50 – 3:25. Hazel goes all mornings and Tuesday afternoons from 1:50 - 3:25, and Thursday afternoons from 1:50 – 4:15. Jethro goes all mornings, early on Wednesday mornings, Monday and Thursday afternoons from 1:50 – 4:15. Actually, I am now studying his schedule and apparently he DOESN’T go early on Wednesday mornings like he did last year. Eureka!
I am loving my kids today. They are all so cute and wonderful. Orrin is getting so big. I can NOT believe it, but he’s actually wearing some of the clothes that Talmage was wearing when we moved here. Crazy man.
Speaking of moving, it seems everyone—neighbors, acquaintances, family, friends, enemies—has been asking when we are going to move. So, the short answer is, we don’t know. :) The longer answer is that yes, Brett has a two-year contract and that will officially be up in December, but they are going to let him stay pretty much indefinitely, so we will be here until we find a good job in a good place in the U.S. I’m thinking we may be here about a year more, but really don’t know. At first I was not so okay with this unknown business, and I do want to eventually be close to my family, but hey, until then Switzerland is a pretty cool place to be.
The end.
4 comments:
Boy your kids are cute! We miss you guys!
so, so, so cute!
Hey--I wanted to ask you how you handle the Harry Potter craziness. When did you let Jethro read all of them? And how do you handle the "who wants to ready anything else?" problem? Abigail has read the first three, and I finally took them away this week because she's read each of them 4 times and that is ALL SHE WANTS TO DO. Argh! I can totally commiserate with her (harry Potter is a hard act to follow in finding something else to read), but...so many great books out there just the same. I would love to hear your perspective.
Another awesome post love your little family your kids are adorable! and you can come anytime would love to hang out with you! Maybe I should come visit you :) although don't think I'd bring the kids ha ha! Love reading your adventures!
That is one wacked out crazy schedule. All I have to worry about is getting them to the bus stop that is about a block away and then getting them from the bus stop in the afternoon. If I were you, i'd get their schedule tattooed onto your forhead so that you don't forget anything...but then you'd need to carry around a mirror...and then you'd get it messed up anyway because you'd have to read it backwards. AUGH, what is a mother to do!
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